II 
THE FASCINATION OF IT 
Poe that is, the capture of fish by 
any crude means that come handy, must 
naturally be regarded as an ancient 
practice. Artificial fly-fishing, however, 
might perhaps be reasonably pronounced a fairly 
modern device, since it smacks of subtlety. But 
it is by no means modern, Indeed, like all things 
under the sun, it is neither new, not even com- 
paratively new. But it is not easy to say when 
the art first began. 
The late Mr. Thomas Westwood had a sug- 
gestive note in Notes and Queries for March 25th, 
1871. He said: “ There can be little doubt that 
the invention of the artificial fly is of very ancient 
date. Who shall say, indeed, how soon after the 
fall of man this cunning lure of the fisherman first 
fell on the rivers outside Eden? How old is the 
sport ? is a question continually asked, Probably 
as old as hunger.” 
The first literary reference to fly-fishing occurs 
in #Elian’s “ History of Animals,” which relates 
how the fly Aippurus was imitated by Macedonian 
anglers by the Astrzeus and used in effigy as a 
lure for the fish of that river. 
